$100,000 awarded to Dr. Patrick Dion at McGill University.
DNA holds the master code of genetic instructions for all processes that take place in the body. Another genetic molecule called RNA is created from those instructions and performs many important cellular processes including overseeing the production of proteins.
Environmental impacts can make changes to our DNA that affect how our genes are expressed. For example, environmental stress can add tags in specific locations on DNA in a process called methylation. This process modifies the genetic instructions, which in turn changes how much RNA and protein is produced.
Scientists have recently discovered that RNA can also be tagged by methylation, affecting how it functions in cellular health. This exciting new scientific field is called epitranscriptomics.
For this pilot project, Dr. Patrick Dion is collaborating with Dr. Guy Rouleau at McGill University. They will be among the first scientists to study RNA methylation in ALS. They will investigate a specific type of methylation called m6A in the RNA of cells that have mutations in TDP-43 and C9ORF72 genes, two of the most common genetic forms of ALS. m6A is the most abundant modification, and it affects almost all RNA processes.
Dr. Dion hopes to uncover new understandings about how environmental impacts affect RNA processes in ALS. This project promises to set the stage for future ALS research in an exciting new field.